Pensacola, Florida
May 2007
WANDERERS: Betsy, John, Mike, Natasha.
SIGHTINGS/ IDENTIFICATIONS: White Tailed Deer, Juvenile American Alligator, Oyster Mushroom, Turtles (Type Unknown), Bald Eagle, Egrets, Spider Lily.
RUN: Day Hike. There are 20+ miles of trails. All of the loops are under 5 miles.
RATING: 4.65 for the Trail.
Kayak Rating: 5.75/10 for Bald Eagles, small gators and rare swamp flora.
WEATHER: Sunny!
TYPE OF TRAIL: Boardwalk through hardwood swamp. Wide trail through medium dense pine forest, small gorge, small to medium inclines through hills and bluffs.
WALK THRU: 1. Enter the boardwalk immediately you will come to Thompson's Bayou. This is your best chance to see odd fish, turtles, and the small American Alligator. It might be big these days.
2. A quarter mile down the boardwalk you will see a break in the railing on the right. At this point you are on the UWF Nature Walk Trail. Walk another quarter mile down the trail and you will reach the trail sign.
3. Go right at the Trail sign. You are now on the coke can trails. (2.75 miles). Stick to your right and you should follow a trail along Thompson bayou. Keep an eye towards the sky when you come to spots along the water, this is your best chance to spot a Bald Eagle.
4. Towards the north end of the coke can you will hit a fence and should only be able to go left. This fence keeps unwanted guests out of a power plant. If you hike along the fence you will get a glimpse of the power plant and something called Crist's Falls. There is no water fall here just a drainage ditch coming from the power plant.
5. From here you can head back towards the trail sign. If you stay to your right once again this time heading south there are multiple trails including gorge trail (.6 miles), Bone Trail (.92 miles), Cambodia Trail (1.53 miles) etc. If you stick to your left you will hit the trail sign and you can make your way back to the boardwalk.
TRAILHEAD: From Davis Highway go north on University Parkway. Go to Bldg 10 and 11 on UWF Campus. Follow the path behind Bldg 10 and 11 to the Trail head.
FOOD: Pb&J, Trail-mix, Lots of Water especially during the summer.
EQUIPMENT: Day pack, sunscreen, bug spray, map, cell phone, compass, Petzl Tactikka XP Headlamp - Camouflage
Sherpa Adventure Gear Thamel Mens 2.5L Jacket
first aid kit and extra food.
BODY CONDITION/ LESSONS LEARNED: Nothing but smiles.
SIDE NOTES: -At night time apparently there are reflectors on trees that lead to a geo cache sight. (I dont know about going out there at night, creepy).
-Canoeing the Thompson Bayou is probably a better option than hiking these trails. Being on the water is more fun, and you will have a great chance to see alligators, turtles, egrets, bald eagles, and spider Lillis up close. If you go to the end of the Bayou you will reach a large body of water. This is the Escambia River. You can paddle across this river to an island. On this island you will find lots of sand, huge ants, beer cans, and extreme heat during the summer.
-Canoes are available for free from the UWF gym. You can reserve them in advance here
http://uwf.edu/recreation/OutdoorAdventures/Checkout.cfm
MAPS/ CONTACT: You can find maps for all of the UWF campus trails here
http://uwf.edu/recreation/Facilities/TrailMaps.cfm
No comments:
Post a Comment